Month: April 2017

The faces of hunger in America are both familiar and hidden from view, yet they are all too real and far too many.

Thanks to the efforts of local Rabbi Josh Ratner, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger travelling exhibit of “This Is Hunger”, is coming to our local community. This powerful community engagement program that will encourage individuals to embark on a journey—one that that will challenge their beliefs about who in America struggles with hunger and why, and empower them to take action.

From Sunday, May 7th through Wednesday, May 10 this exhibit, which includes a 53-foot-long double expandable trailer, will be located at Congregation Mishkan Israel, 785 Ridge Road in Hamden. Visitors to this exhibit will be taken on a virtual and interactive journey and meet virtually real people struggling with hunger. They will see the faces of hunger, hear their stories and learn about this silent but prevalent issue. Participants will also be invited to engage in activities and experiences that will deepen their awareness about the complexities of being hungry.

Ready. Set. Give! The Great Give 2017 is upon us and Jewish Family Service of Greater New Haven is once again participating! This 36-hour, online-giving event through the givegreater.org site starts at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2nd and ends Wednesday, May 3rd at 8 p.m. In addition to the dollars we raise with your charitable donations, you can help make JFS eligible for thousands of dollars in grant prizes when you support us through givegreater.org! Use this personalized link on Tuesday, May 2nd – Wednesday May 3rd. To donate during this two day event click here.

On March 25th, 2017 Jewish Family Service of Greater New Haven (JFS) held its annual Spring Celebration Fundraiser at Temple Beth Sholom to raise funds to prevent homelessness in Greater New Haven and to support our vulnerable homeless population.

A little over a year ago, JFS embarked on a journey to tackle this vexing issue in a significant way. JFS joined their local Community Access Network of partner agencies working together throughout the Greater New Haven Region to address the homelessness problem; they became a certified and approved intake site to help and guide individuals and families in – or on the cusp of – homelessness; and they continue to serve greater and greater numbers of people who have fallen prey to this devastating condition.

JFS’ clients who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless have multiple and complex needs. The money raised from the event will support them in some of the following ways : rental assistance, an emergency stay in a motel, bus passes, restoring heat and electricity, counseling and case management services, or an emergency visit to the JFS Food Pantry with a supply of packaged and fresh food. We could not have had such a successful event without our generous sponsors and all our guests who all came out to support this vital mission to prevent homelessness.

The ritual foods of Passover are out of reach for many local individuals and families who use the JFS Food Pantry and Nutritional Health Center. Thanks to B’nai B’rith’s Project H.O.P.E., and Harold Miller, the JFS Food Pantry is one of several local organizations within Connecticut who receive Passover packages to distribute to clients. Volunteers from the local community and JFS helped pack bags on Sunday, April 2nd. Following the packing, JFS distributed the bags to more than 125 families. JFSGNH clients also receive a grocery gift card to help with their holiday purchases. Here are some of the photos from Sunday’s bag packing and distribution.

JFS is proud to congratulate Mental Health Clinician Gayle Daskal, LMSW, and Board President Linda Caplan on receiving the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies (CCFSA) Family Champions Award on Wednesday, May 22nd at the New Haven Lawn Club. Each year, the CCFSA recognizes a staff member and a board member from each of their participating family service agencies. Both Gayle and Linda are well-deserving of this honor, and below you can find a little bit about them, as well as the reasons they received this award.

When it comes to the definition of “Can Do,” Gayle Daskal’s name is embedded in the definition. Gayle joined the JFSGNH staff three years ago as a per Diem clinician for the Permanency Placement Services Program. It was here that Gayle found herself performing therapeutic supervised visits with parents and children, providing clinical recommendations to DCF and the courts, and helping to stabilize pre-adoptive placements for children in the foster care system. She also showed her creative side while making Life Books for children within the DCF system of care and working with pre-adoptive families. During the past three years, Gayle has shown that she is a hard-worker, is very reliable, and especially sensitive to client’s needs. She became a full time staff member one year ago. As with any state funded program, contracts and programs themselves change and Gayle rolled with the changes and stepped up to create a new visitation program for families. She has also taken on many new responsibilities including working with Holocaust Survivors in the Greater New Haven Area and meeting with clients for individual therapy sessions in the JFS Mental Health Clinic, including the child-parent psychotherapy. Through the changes, Gayle has never lost her smile and cheerful disposition. She is an inspiration to clients and JFS staff alike.

Gayle graduated with a Bachelors in arts from the University of Connecticut in 2012. She earned her Master’s in Social Work, with a concentration in Clinical Social Work, Child Welfare, and Jewish Communal Service from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work in 2015. She graduated as a member of the Phil Alpha Honor Society for Social Work: Tau Epsilon Chapter, and was awarded the Student Government Peer Mentor Award upon graduating as well as the United States Department of Health and Human Services – Yeshiva HRSA Grant Trainee for clinical practice with high risk adolescents. She is trained in Child-Parent Psychotherapy, and the Circle of Security-Parenting Program.

Linda Caplan – Board President

President Linda Caplan with her husband Mark, and CEO Amy Rashba

Linda Caplan is an extraordinary and dedicated leader of the JFS Board. She has worked tirelessly to help guide JFS in a very strong and positive direction.

She has unlimited passion, humor, and integrity and has a strategic vision that will greatly benefit JFS in the future. Linda is an inspiration to our entire board and staff.

Linda became involved with JFS in 2013 as a volunteer in the JFS Food Pantry. She joined the JFS Board of Directors in 2015. Linda was named President of the Board in 2017.

Linda received her BS in Economics from SCSU and MBA from UNH. She launched her first career working in procurement for large industrial companies. She left the business world to raise her three children. As Matt, Hanna and Leah went through the K’Tanim program at Temple Beth Sholom, Linda started her second career as a pre-school teacher. Linda eventually retired from teaching and was able to more fully focus on volunteer roles with various organizations, including Hamden Hall and the Jewish High School of Connecticut.

Linda began her affiliation with JFS as a volunteer in the food pantry. She later became a founding volunteer in the Food4Kids program, which provides nutritious weekend food for more than 350 New Haven children at risk of going hungry. Linda lives in Wallingford with her husband, Mark, and a very pampered poodle, Martini.